ROME, Ga. —
Miles got back one of its top players for its road battle against Shorter and she paid quick dividends as the Lady Bears ran their win streak to five games in a 70-56 win over the Lady Hawks on Saturday.
Preseason All-Conference forward
Makayla Rieves scored a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting in her first action of the season. But she was far from the only significant performer as the the Lady Bears (6-1) continue to send wave after wave of defensive pressure that have been submerging the opposition all season long.
Miles trailed after the end of the first quarter but a bucket by Rieves and a 3-ball from
Samarian Franklin gave the Lady Bears a 21-19 lead. The contest remained close through the remainder of the first half but strong surge over the final 75 seconds of the second quarter sent Miles to the locker room with the lead. Three-pointers by
Laila Minter (11 points) and
Jalyn Shelby and a bucket by
Jaylen Pleasant closed an 8-2 run for a 38-34 advantage.
A 10-2 spurt between the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter gave Miles its first double-digit lead, 56-46, with 8:49 remaining in the contest. Then, midway through final period, the Lady Bears scored seven straight points to finally take control.
Madison Lee and Rieves scored on back-to-back possessions followed by another 3-pointer from Shelby for a 63-49 lead with 5:47 to go. Shorter would not get any closer than 11 points for the rest of the game.
Amiya Redus (15 points) and Amari Butler (11) were the top scorers for Shorter, which turned the ball over 28 times, leading to 23 points for Miles. Shelby (11 points) and Franklin (10) also scored in double figures for the Lady Bears, who will play at Alabama A&M in an exhibition on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Facebook, Instagram and X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.